Two Words
by shegal92
Summary: As the dust settles, Rumplestiltskin has two little words for Jefferson...thank you. Tea ensues.


Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. You can't own fairy tales, just aspects of them.

Like most professions, practitioners of magic ran in similar circles, knowing each other's reputations before they ever laid eyes on each other. Rumplestiltskin and the Mad Hatter were familiar with each other's work, but had never crossed each other's paths.

Until now.

A sharp contrast from Storybrooke's turmoil, Jefferson's house was quiet, peaceful even save for the occasional laugh from the other room. A war was waging on their doorsteps, but the eye of the storm was here, and both men would treasure it while it lasted.

Neither of them were sure what to say to the other. Rumplestiltskin fidgeted like a child, twisting his head this way and that as his fingers grasped for a cane that wasn't there. Just because he didn't need it anymore it didn't mean it wouldn't be _nice_ to have with him. The Mad Hatter slowly made his way around the room, adjusting things as he saw fit, especially his showcase of hats that had almost worked. He kept glancing through the door, across the hall, but never at Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin was the more powerful man, so he reasoned that made him the bigger man, not to mention the fact that he had something on his tongue. He cleared his throat, the unfamiliar words coming out like sandpaper.

"Thank you."

Jefferson paused, his fingers on the brim of a regal top hat. He frowned.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for me."

"All the same," Rumplestiltskin insisted gently.

Jefferson turned around, expecting a giggle or a trilling voice at any moment. But Rumplestiltskin was serious, or as serious as he could be, smiling as he looked across the hall.

"You didn't know what I had planned," he continued, "And yet you gave me one of my dearest treasures, one I thought was lost forever. That is pretty selfless, for someone with so-called "selfish" motives."

"Said the pot to the kettle," Jefferson mused, walking back over to Rumplestiltskin. He gave a one-shouldered shrug, "She fooled me once and got away with it; I wasn't about to let her do it again. Emma was already so busy, I went for the second person who could stand toe-to-toe with the witch and win."

He stopped, watching alongside Rumplestiltskin as a small voice climbed in excitement.

"Say what you will about soul mates, I don't believe anything compares to the love of a parent to their child. Your gift was greater, so I should be thanking you."

"I didn't do what you wanted me to, not yet at least," Rumplestiltskin pointed out, his fingers twirling over the handle of a phantom cane. His voice hardened, "To be so close to a loved one who doesn't even remember who you are…seems like the worst kind of hell. Especially your child."

Rumplestiltskin glanced at the Mad Hatter, his forehead creasing.

"How did you know where Belle was?" He asked. Jefferson glanced at him, pale face emotionless.

"Secrets are power, and I'll keep mine to myself," he said. Rumplestiltskin pursed his lips, raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Fair enough." They turned back to the scene in front of them. When Rumplestiltskin spoke again, it was raw, exposed, "I just…wish…I had known where she was, that I could have saved her from Regina's claws somehow…"

"And I wish I didn't have to spend twenty-eight years watching Grace being raised by a couple of strangers," Jefferson responded bluntly, "…maybe if I had been under the influence like everyone else, maybe if I had some nice delusions to hide behind… Sanity is itself a sort of insanity."

"Amen," Rumplestiltskin murmured. He straightened, giving a little "huff", "Well, there's nothing we can do about those years anymore. They're in the past, growing ever dimmer."

"All that matters is that we have our girls back at long last," Jefferson said. Rumplestiltskin nodded vehemently.

Across the hall in her room, Grace was pouring real tea into her little mismatched set, chatting with her live guest while they were surrounded by her less-alive ones.

"How much sugar would you like, Miss Belle?"

"Two lumps, Miss Grace, thank you."

Belle sat on one of the four chairs too small for anyone but Grace, legs crossed and leaning forward attentively. She glanced up and spotted the two men, who quickly acted as if they hadn't been watching their tea time.

"Come on, you two, you're late," she scolded light-heartedly.

"You _know_ how the White Rabbit gets about punctuality, Father," Grace huffed.

Smiling at their respective dearies, the two men started across the hall to join them for a tea party. It felt like a dream to them, even though it was really the girls who had woken up. They would worry about protecting them tomorrow but, for today, the Mad Hatter and Rumplestiltskin would just soak in their happiness.

**End**

So yeah, ever since I saw "Skin Deep" I wondered how Mr. Gold and Belle would find each other. I literally screamed when I saw Jefferson go down to her cell and my mind was blown. Way better than I could've predicted. It got me wondering about the dynamics after the mist settles; I mean, Jefferson was the one who sent Belle to Mr. Gold, but it was because he wanted Mr. Gold to go beat up Reggie, not out of the goodness of his heart. And then knowing everyone knows who they are and Grace… Oh gawd, the _feels_. So yes, they all love tea, so a tea party was both cute and natural. Hope you enjoyed.


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